[Mercury content of common chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius) from four spatially distant sites in Poland]

Mercury content have been determined in 59 composite samples (from 3 to 6 fruit bodies per sample) of Common Chanterelle collected near the towns of Hel, Ciechocinek and Zakopane, and in Bialowieza Forest. Total mercury have been determined by cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CV-AAS) using validated analytical method with amalgamation on golden wool and further desorption of mercury (analyzer MA-2000). Mercury content of the dried fruit bodies of Common Chanterelle depending on the site ranged from 29 for the outskirts of the Ciechocinek to 46 ng/g for the area of Białowieska Forest. A meal made of 300 g of fresh fruit bodies of Common Chanterelle will result in intake of 0.87 (Ciechocinek) to 1.4 microg Hg (Białowieska Forest), while eating daily Common Chanterelle at this rate within a week will result in intake from 6.1 to 9.8 microg Hg on an average, respectively. These assessed doses of mercury intake are only small portions of reference dose (RfD) and PTWI for mercury.